Tips for working out at home

High-energy bodyweight workouts can help students with busy schedules

Get big and stay home — students can still get fit from their homes when they decide to skip the gym.

The act of working out can require various moving parts including motivation, training knowledge and the effort of commuting to the closest gym.

Kinesiology junior Adam Luna typically works out four to five times a week and describes his relationship with fitness as good and comfortable. However, sometimes homework or not wanting to drive far on the weekends keeps him from the gym.

Here are six ways to effectively work out at home when getting to the gym is too much of a stretch.

1. Try short, high-energy workouts

“I highly recommend at-home workouts to keep individuals on track to reaching their fitness goals,” personal trainer Christopher Woolen said in an email. “There is a lot which can be accomplished with little space and equipment. There is really no excuse for missing 30 minutes of exercise in a day.”

Luna said that while he was in the Marine Corps, not everyone would be able to fit in the gym. He learned that High-Intensity Interval Training workouts, or HIIT workouts, can be done anywhere.

“An at-home workout can be done in less than 45 minutes,” Woolen said. “Research is showing the benefits of short, intense bodyweight workouts with either high continuous repetitions or plyometric jumps and bounds.”

2. Ditch the equipment and opt for bodyweight workouts

Students can perform bodyweight movements such as pushups, situps and squats, which can be done practically anywhere, Woolen said.

A combination of the three can even provide a full-body workout for students, he said.

When it comes to bodyweight workouts, Luna also runs in place and does jumping jacks.

3. Make space to train

Students can create a safe space to work out by clearing the floor of everything and removing their socks if they are training on hard floors, Woolen said.

Woolen also suggested purchasing an exercise mat.

4. Make YouTube tutorials your fitness pal

YouTube is a great source for instructional videos, Woolen said.

He even has a fitness channel, Crissxfitness, on YouTube, where he has tutorials featuring workouts that can be done anywhere without equipment.

5. Get creative

“It’s more about improvising at home,” Luna said.

Luna said he uses a fold-out chair to do dips and incline pushups. He also puts his feet under the couch for situps.

6. Taking just a few steps away from home won’t hurt

Luna said whenever he wants to go the extra mile, he’ll jog around his neighborhood for a good cardio workout.

Opting to work out at home rather than skipping a day at the gym is how Luna stays consistent.

“If you take a break, then you might take another break,” Luna said. “Then it’s a few days; then you lose the habit of doing it.”

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